Narendra Modi's Action-Packed U.S. Tour Combines Symbolism And Substance

WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a landmark action-packed U.S. visit this week with all his engagements combining symbolism and substance to reflect India's priorities from political to strategic to business.

Observers see a complete mood swing in the U.S. since Modi's sweeping electoral victory with enormous optimism about where the India-U.S. relations could go particularly in the business sphere and among the large Indian diaspora.

The very fact that three top members of President Barack Obama's cabinet — secretary of state John Kerry, defence secretary Chuck Hagel and commerce secretary Penny Pritzker - have visited India in quick succession is reflective of the change in sentiment about India.

And that analysts said is changing perceptions about how the business looks at India under Modi, who has a business-friendly image given his record as Gujarat chief minister, and there is a beeline of businessmen and lawmakers for attending his meetings. Reflective of his desire to build smart cities, Modi kicks off his U.S. tour with meetings with current New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessor Michael Bloomberg.

He also meets Nobel Prize-winning scientist Harold Eliot Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute showing his concern for health issues. An address to the annual festival of Global Citizen Initiative, a movement for eradication of extreme poverty, at Central Park is demonstrative of Modi's anti-poverty focus.

A visit to Ground Zero the site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on World Trade Centre and 9/11 memorial in New York, shows India's concern with and determination to fight terrorism.

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